Author: Johnson, 1974
Rosenblattichthys hubbsi Johnson, 1974
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Rosenblattichthys hubbsi Johnson, 1974 (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: dorsal finrays 8-9, anal finrays 23-25, pectoral finrays 21-23; pectoral and pelvic fins moderately elongate, subequal in length, both covered with small, scattered melanophores. Lateral line scales 53 (n = 1). Vertebrae 49 (n = 1). Colour: in alcohol, more or less uniform yellow-brown with more intense pigmentation outlining scale pockets; a streak of dense black pigment bordering anterior margin of eye; no pigment on branchiostegal membranes. Size: 144.5 mm SL (single record).
Habitat: oceanic, mesopelagic. Known from a single adult specimen taken in a haul between 657 and O m in the equatorial Atlantic; also from 45 larval and juvenile specimens (9.2-63.9 mm SL) taken throughout the year in hauls to depths as shallow as 60 m. Food: unknown, presumably other midwater fishes. Reproduction: larvae with extremely deep bodies and massive, elongate heads, exceeding 30% SL; also, one peritoneal pigment section only and with distinctive accessory pigment spots and areas. Metamorphosis gradual, occurring over a size range of about 20-60 mm SL.
Distribution: not taken in Clofnam area but at 3 Atlantic stations closely adjacent: 31° 50-45' N, 30° 37-41' W; 31° 44-39' N, 30° 41- 46' W; 28° 45-40' N, 33° 08-11 ' W. Elsewhere, known from subtropical regions of all oceans, but not from South Pacific.